Category: Minnesota T-Wolves Blog

The Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday waived forward Shabazz Muhammad.

Muhammad appeared in 32 games this season for the Wolves, averaging 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “by agreeing to the buyout, Muhammad forgoes a veteran’s minimum player option for next season. He re-signed with the Wolves to $1.6 million veteran’s minimum last fall after he turned down $40 million in October 2016, the same time teammate Gorgui Dieng signed a four-year, $64 million contract. The 14th player taken in the 2013 draft, Muhammad was one of the Wolves’ most active players during training camp in San Diego, but didn’t play well early in the regular season and played less and less as the Wolves played better and better.”

After the Muhammad move, Minnesota’s roster stands at 15 players.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will host “Flip Saunders Night” at home in Target Center on Thursday, February 15. The visiting team for that game is the Lakers.

That night, the Timberwolves will unveil a permanent banner in Target Center to honor the memory of Flip.

“Flip meant so much to our organization as a coach, but he meant so much more to all of us as a friend,” said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. “His impact on our organization and what he meant to the Minnesota basketball community is something that will always be with us. It is appropriate that we honor the man who meant so much to us with of a banner in our home arena that will forever fortify his memory.”

All fans in attendance will receive a Flip Saunders commemorative coin. The back story behind giving a coin is this: One of Flip’s trademarks during his tenure with the Wolves was to create a new team coin each season for players and front office staff, then randomly give them to people he would encounter as a way to include fans on that season’s journey.

“Minnesota has always been our family’s home”, said Debbie Saunders, widow of Flip Saunders. “Flip not only had a passion for the Timberwolves but for basketball in the State of Minnesota. We are incredibly grateful to the Timberwolves for memorializing Flip in such a moving way and having his memory live on inside Target Center forever.”

Saunders compiled an overall record of 427-392 (.521) in 12 seasons covering two different stints with the organization.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Amile Jefferson to a two-way contract.

Jefferson, 24, has played in 22 games this season for the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves’ NBA G League affiliate, averaging 18.0 points and a league-best 13.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 64.0% from the field. Jefferson, 6-9, has 16 double-doubles on the season, including one in each of his last seven games dating back to Dec. 29. The Duke graduate was recently named to the NBA G League Showcase First Team, averaging 22.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 65.0% from the field over two contests. Jefferson’s best games include a 28-point, 21-rebound performance Jan. 6 at Texas and 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists Jan. 10 at Canton (G League Showcase).

The Timberwolves originally signed Jefferson to a training camp contract on Sept. 18, 2017. Jefferson appeared in one preseason game for Minnesota, totaling one rebound in 4:15 of action. Jefferson was waived on October 16, 2017.

Two-way contracts allow teams to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular-season roster. Players signed to a two-way contact can accrue no more than 45 days of service with their respective NBA club during the regular season and will spend the remainder of their time with the team’s NBA G League affiliate. Jefferson is the second Timberwolves player to sign a two-way contract, joining Anthony Brown.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have announced the hire of Shawn Parker as the team’s public address announcer. The hire follows an extensive search that drew over 400 interested applicants.

Shawn Parker, a Washington D.C. native, has an extensive sports background and is certified by the National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA). Shawn was most recently the PA announcer at George Washington University and for the Women’s Football Alliance’s three-time national Champion D.C. Divas. He has also been the hockey voice of the 2015 World Police and Fire Games and the 2016 USA Hockey High School National Championships, as well as has experience as a boxing announcer for several D.C.-based champions including world light middleweight champion, Jarrett “Swift” Hurd.

The Minnesota Timberwolves finalized their 2017-18 Opening Night roster on Saturday, October 14 by waiving Amile Jefferson, Melo Trimble and Shawne Williams.

The Wolves open their 29th season of basketball on Wednesday, October 18 at the San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 pm CT. Opening night will be broadcast on ESPN, Fox Sports North and the radio home of the Wolves, 830 WCCO. The team’s home opener is Friday, October 20 vs. the Utah Jazz.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised the fourth-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones.

Towns, 21, averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season, starting all 82 games for the second consecutive year. The 7-0 forward/center set a franchise single-season scoring record with 2061 points while recording 1007 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (15th overall and first since Tim Duncan in 2001-02) to collect 2000+ points and 1000+ rebounds in a season. In 2016-17 he ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 12th in field goal accuracy (54.2%) and 19th in blocked shots (1.26 bpg). The Wolves selected Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Jones, 21, posted averages of 3.5 points and 2.6 assists in 12.9 minutes per contest in 60 games last season, his second in the NBA. The Wolves originally acquired the draft rights to the 6-2 guard from the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 25, 2015.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived Amile Jefferson, Melo Trimble and Shawne Williams.

Jefferson appeared in one preseason game for Minnesota totaling one rebound in four minutes of action. The Wolves originally signed Jefferson on September 18, 2017.

Trimble registered four points and one rebound in his lone appearance this preseason. Trimble was originally signed by the Wolves on September 18, 2017.

Williams was signed by Minnesota on October 13, 2017.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed free agent forward Shawne Williams.

Williams, 31, last played in the NBA in 2014-15, averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 63 games for the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons. In eight NBA seasons, the 6-9 forward has career averages of 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 314 games. Williams was drafted in the first round (17th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He played his first two seasons with the Pacers and has also seen action with the Dallas Mavericks (2008-10), New York Knicks (2010-11), New Jersey Nets (2011-12) and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13).